1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to all-weather enclosures and windshields for golf carts. More particularly, this invention relates to brackets for retaining a golf cart enclosure panel and a golf cart windshield in a position adjacent a golf cart windshield frame.
2. Description of the Background Art
Golf carts are typically motorized vehicles, gas or electric, that comprise a body portion, or carriage, including a driver's seat and a passenger seat with a storage area in the rear for storing a pair of golf bags in an upright position. Most golf carts include a roof structure supported above the body portion by a windshield frame and two rear, vertical supports. The windshield frame is typically a quadrangle structure, with two vertical portions and two horizontal portions. The roof structure provides at least partial protection to the golfers in the golf cart from precipitation or inclement weather, and also at least partially shades the golfers during sunny weather.
Golf cart roof structures do not provide complete protection since the front, rear and sides are open. Accordingly, there presently exist numerous types of enclosures for golf carts which are designed to provide added protection to the golfers seated therein. Generally, golf cart enclosures are composed of a canvas or vinyl material having a plurality of panels which are configured to be supported about the front, rear and side openings of the golf cart. The panels are often attached to each other by attachment means, such as zippers. The panels in some enclosures are suspended directly from the roof structure of the golf cart whereas others are suspended from a canvas or vinyl roof panel designed to be positioned over the roof structure of a golf cart so that the panels are suspended downwardly therefrom about the front, rear and side openings of the golf cart. Most importantly, the front and typically the rear and side panels include sections of transparent vinyl which function as windshields or windows permitting the golfers to see out of the golf cart when fully enclosed in the enclosure. Various means are provided for securing the lower edges of the panels to the lower edges of the golf cart in order to retain them in proper position. Representative golf cart enclosures are described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,259,656, 4,621,859, 5,310,235, 4,773,694, 4,098,536 and 4,488,750, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Typically, the enclosure panels are temporarily fastened to the lower edges of the golf cart or to the windshield frame so that, despite cart motion or wind gusts, the side panels stay vertically oriented, maintaining the integrity of the enclosure. Various means of securing the enclosure panels to the golf cart have been used. For example, straps been sewn to the panels to tie around the windshield frame or to the golf cart bottom edge. As one may expect, it has been found inconvenient and time consuming to tie and untie such straps. Snaps have also been used and have been found to be equally inconvenient to snap and unsnap.
The current state of the art for securing the enclosure panels to the golf cart windshield frame involves the use of a hook and loop fastener such as that known by the trademark "Velcro". Hook and loop fasteners have been used by adhering one component of the fastener (hook or loop) to the opposing edges of the enclosure side panels and adhering the other component of the fastener (loop or hook) to either the body portion's lower edge or the windshield frame's side surface. Unfortunately, however, due to the nature of the hook and loop fasteners, it is inconvenient and often difficult for the golfer to conscientiously align the edges of the enclosure panels with the corresponding golf cart surface and apply pressure in such a way as to mate hook and loop and thereby reliably secure the enclosure panels. Further, hook and loop fasteners tend to wear over time, accumulating thread debris within the hook component, thereby becoming less effective fasteners. It would be advantageous, therefore, to have a means of reliably and conveniently securing the enclosure panels while simultaneously preserving ease of occupant ingress and egress.
The earliest models of golf cart enclosures included four panels (front, rear and side panels) as described above. However, it was soon realized that most golfers kept the front panel rolled down to function as a windshield even during good weather conditions. Golfers particularly favored keeping the front panel rolled down to function as a windshield to block the flow of air during operation of the golf cart. These front panels soon became known as "soft" fronts or windshields, and were particularly favored by golfers during cooler weather and light rain, because the soft windshield sufficiently deflected oncoming air to keep the golfers comfortable during movement of the golf cart. In many situations, the soft windshields were left in place almost year round.
Windshields composed of transparent hard materials such as a transparent acrylic or glass, for golf carts were soon developed. These became known as "hard" windshields to distinguish them from the "soft" windshields composed of the transparent vinyl front panel of a golf cart enclosure. Indeed, golf cart enclosures were soon being manufactured as "four-sided" versions with a front panel having a soft front or windshield, paired side panels, and a rear panel and "three-sided" versions having only side panels and a rear panel intended to be used on golf carts with hard windshields.
Presently, there exist many types of hard windshields. Some are composed simply of a flat, hard transparent material that is permanently affixed to the front surface of the windshield frame, others are entirely removable and still others are connected to the windshield frame in such a manner that the windshield may be rolled on tracks, out of the way, up under the roof structure. Representative windshields for golf carts are described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,195,797, 5,192,109, 5,110,174, 4,819,979, 4,795,205, 4,792,175, 4,773,695, 4,343,503, 4,014,589 and 3,958,826, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
One particular type of hard windshield consists of lower and upper sheets of transparent material, such as clear acrylic or polycarbonite, that are dimensioned to be positioned about the lower and upper openings of the golf cart, with the sides thereof secured to the vertical portions of the windshield frame, thereby functioning as lower and upper windshields. The mating edges of the lower and upper windshields are hinge connected together such as by means of a living hinge or the like. The opposing sides of the lower windshield are secured to the front surface of the vertical frame by means of threaded fasteners, rivets, or the like. Because of the living hinge, the upper portion windshield is permitted to fold down over the lower portion windshield in a stacked, parallel configuration such that the upper area of the front of the golf cart is "open". When desired, the upper portion windshield may then be pivoted upwardly to a position substantially planar with the lower portion windshield, thereby "closing" the upper area of the front of the golf cart. Fastener means are provided for securing the upper portion windshield in such a "closed" position. In the industry, these types of windshields became known as "hinged windshields".
Presently, there exists numerous means for securing the upper portion windshield of the hinged windshield of the golf cart to the windshield frame. Historically, a hook and loop fastener was first used by adhering one component of the fastener (hook or loop) to the opposing side edges of the upper portion windshield and adhering the other component of the fastener (loop or hook) to the vertical portions of the frame. In this manner, as the upper portion windshield is moved to the vertical, closed position, the components of the hook and loop fastener are engaged and securely retains the upper portion windshield in the closed position. Unfortunately, however, due to the nature of the hook and loop fasteners, it is sometimes difficult for the golfer to pull the hook and loop fastener apart in order to lower the upper portion windshield.
Another type of fastener for golf cart hinged windshields comprises generally U-shaped retainer clips that are dimensioned and configured to resiliently grasp about the windshield frame. Typically, one of these U-shaped clips is rigidly connected to each opposing side of the upper portion windshield such that when the upper portion windshield is closed, the U-shaped retainer clips snaps onto their respective portions of the windshield frame, thereby securing the upper portion windshield in its closed position. Importantly, the golfer can easily open the windshield since U-shaped clips of this structure can more easily release from the frame than hook and loop type fasteners.
Still another type of fastener for golf cart hinged windshields comprises a rubber latch. Rubber latches of this type are permanently affixed to the windshield frame. They include an L-shaped or U-shaped configuration that can be bent backward during closing of the upper portion windshield and then released to resiliently engage the opposing side edges of the upper portion windshield when closed. Unfortunately, rubber latches of this character tend to lose their inherent "memory" after repeated use thereby requiring replacement.
Still other types of fasteners for golf cart hinged windshields include articulated knobs or latches positioned through holes in the opposing sides of the upper portion windshield in such manner that when the upper portion windshield is closed, the knob or latch can be operated to rigidly engage into a hole in the frame or a bracket affixed to the frame, respectively. Unfortunately, articulated knobs and latches of this character require holes to be drilled through the opposing sides of the upper portion windshield, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost since acrylic is notch sensitive and relatively brittle. Moreover, repeated operation of the knob or latch of this character sometimes results in a degradation of the hole in the acrylic.
Still another type of latch has been patented by the applicant of the present invention (U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,953 the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein) for an improved retaining latch for golf cart hinged windshields. In the referenced patent, the applicant created an S-shaped latch which held the upper portion of a hinged windshield securely in place. The improved latch does not degrade over time and allows a person to easily latch or unlatch the upper portion of the hinged windshield on the golf cart.
Another type of hard windshield used on golf carts is a solid or one piece (no hinge) windshield. The one piece windshields, as well as the lower portion of the hinged windshields, require a retaining device to hold the windshield to the vertical portions of the windshield frame. The prior art uses a plastic bracket that is two "u" shaped slots that are positioned 90.degree. to each other. The prior art teaches that the plastic brackets are to be slid onto the side edges of the lower part of the hinged windshield or onto the side edges of the solid windshield to an approximate middle location. Then either windshield is to be attached to the frame of the golf cart by placing the brackets over the frame allowing the "u" shaped portion to engage with the frame of the golf cart.
Still another type of latch has been taught by the applicant of the present invention (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/991,420, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein) for a bracket for retaining golf cart windshields. The windshield retaining brackets have a generally S-shape configuration that are attachable to windshield frame of a golf cart. A first slot of the S-shaped retaining bracket is positioned about the frame and a second slot is positioned about the windshield.
While all the aforementioned windshield latches function to retain the golf cart windshield, none of them retain the golf cart enclosure.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the golf cart windshield and enclosure art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved retaining bracket for reliably and conveniently securing the enclosure panels of a golf cart while simultaneously preserving ease of occupant ingress and egress.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved retaining bracket for use in connection with an enclosure and windshield for a golf cart, wherein the retaining bracket simultaneously retains the enclosure panels and the windshield adjacent to the windshield frame.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved retaining bracket for use in connection with an enclosure and windshield for a golf cart, the enclosure having panels with first and second side edges, the windshield having a portion overlying the front of a windshield frame, the retaining bracket comprising a U-shaped frame member defined by a serially connected first longitudinal member, a first transverse member and a second longitudinal member, wherein the frame member is adapted for connection to the windshield frame. The first channel of the retaining bracket is positioned about the roof structure support and slid down each support of the golf cart. A longitudinal rail member is disposed upon the first longitudinal member, the rail member having a longitudinal bore. The enclosure bears a bead portion to which the rail bore is adapted to movably engage. A U-shaped window pane member is defined by the first transverse member, a second transverse member and a third longitudinal member. The window pane member is slid over the side edges of the windshield as the frame member of the bracket is slid over the windshield frame, thereby securely engaging the lower portion windshield to the windshield frame. The enclosure bead portion is then movably engaged with the rail member, thereby securely, but movably, engaging the golf cart enclosure to the retaining bracket.
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.